The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-03-25
SHE PUZZLED THE DOCTORS.
The Queer Freaks of a Pennington
SomnambuIist and What Came OF
(Farmington Chronicle.)

(Farmington Chronicle)
Il have been attending a woman not a
thousand miles from this village" said Dr.
J. A, Richards to our reporter. ''that has
completely puzzled me. In all my thirty
years practice l never heard of such
case On being questioned the genial doc
Tor told the following curious facts concern
ing the lady, declining, however. to give her
name. You can say, however," said he,
that she lives in Pennington" Here is the
doctors story in brief:
lie was called early in the fall to examine
the woman, who was suffering from severe
cold and cough and was told that she kept
growing worse-would be getting along nice
ly and apparently nearly over her cough and
the next morning would wake up coughing
again harder than ever and feverish. This
condition of things was kept up for some
time, the patient growing weaker all the
while, and the doctor was in quandary.
While this was going on mysterious con-
dition of affairs was reported by her hus-
band as transpiring at the stable, and about
the house. Lock that building or tie his
colts as securely as he might at night, on 60
ing out in the morning he would find the
door unlocked and the colts loose on the floor;
and the grain, which he carried in small
quantities from the granary and mid in the
stable, would be gone but the sdish contain
ing it was as he had left it, The doors lead
ing through and out Of the house tcould not
possibly be fastened so but that in the morn
| ing they would be found open. Nothing, ex-
| cept the grain, was, however, found missing
from the interior OF the stable or house, and
| it was no wonder that "a haunted house,
| began to be talked Of.
Somehow the husband became aware of the
TACT that somnambulism was hereditary in
| his wife's family and he suspected that his
| spouse was connected with the mystery; and
his suspicious were strengthened when one
morning in early winter his wife discovered
| that one of her toes was frozen. How in
| the world she could freeze her toe while w.
| ing in bed the wife could not tell. This in
| cident set the family on the watch which re-
suited in bringing still stranger things to
| light.
| AT night all retired as usual but not to
sleep, for while the wife was sleeping the
other members of the family got up, dressed,
| and awaited the result. They did not walt
| long. In few moments the wife cautiously
turned down the clothes, got out of the bed,
| put on loose wrapper and her stockings,
then went into distant room, opened a bu-
reau drawer, took out a hood (which her
mother had carefully hidden away from
/ CNOlyUOuJ do oLt cuUDOStuJ anu putting IL
| on, nicely tied the strings and started out
| doors in the snow, noiselessly unfastening
| every door and shutting it behind her. Then
she went to the stable in the dark, opened
the door, unhitched the colts and led them
outlnto the floor, where, after giving them
the grain, she left them and returned to the
house, on the way back leaving every door
| ajar. All this time members of the family
were following and watching her, but she
was utterly obllyiogs to everything. 1t was
| also noticed that the SomnambuliSts eyes
were shut all the time-they were not seen
open once On returning to the house she
undressed and got back into bed; and in the
morning knew nothing of what had trans
pired
The next night was a very cold one but
the somnambulist arose as before, dressed
and started to make her usual visit. The
woman is small and not very strong,
while her husband is "a great, powerful fell
low, said the doctor, and he caught hold of
his wife to prevent her going out, fearful
she would die from exposure. But he was
as child in her hands while she was'in that
state. The door had also been barricaded
with chairs, but this did not stop her. Spite
his wife; she struggled like wild: beast to
get away and finally flung her husband off,
then walked up over the chairs, made her
customary rounds, returned to the house
and bed, and IN the morning knew nothing
of the affair-only remarking that she did
not know what made her feel so tired.
The next night an incident stranger than
the others occurred. AS the wife rose from
the bed and dressed, some of the family
spoke to her, when quite confab ensued,
every question being correctly answered and
so politely that the others could not keep
from laughing, the wife laughing heartily
with the. rest. All at once she spoke up
Come, let's have dancev' "Well, what
shall it be?" asked the husband. "Oh, let's
dance, Polly put the kettle on'i' Accord
lngly set was formed and to the music OF
that lively air the whole family 'tripped the
light fantastic toe" the somnambulist, with
closed eyes. entering heartily into the fun,
laughing and joking with the others and so
polite to her partner At the end of the
dance she gracefully escorted her partner to
a seat after which, with a eat-like tread
stole out OF the room and to bed-all this
without waking, and in the morning know
ing nothing of the previous nights doings
but wondering what it was that caused her
to feel so exhausted.
These fits of somnambulism seem to be
periodical, Nor now she is all right though
there is no knowing when she may be again
| attacked.